The Asian American/Asian
Research Institute will
host a one-day
conference on May 16,
2008 titled Asian
American Women:
Celebrating Successes,
Meeting Challenges, a
forum where we will
examine past, present,
and future challenges
and objectives for Asian
American women.

Asian American women’s
experiences and concerns
illustrate the
heterogeneous and
complex histories and
interests of this
important segment of the
U.S. population. This
year’s AAARI conference
will investigate the
landscape of Asian
American women’s
historical and
contemporary
experiences, examining
and evaluating past
accomplishments while
maintaining a critical
and pragmatic eye to
future goals. The
conference seeks to
explore the manifold
realms of Asian American
women’s lives from the
diverse vantage points
of scholars,
researchers, business
professionals,
educators, activists,
artists, legislators,
writers, and students.
During the conference,
we will ask ourselves
what we have learned
from Asian American
women’s histories, and
how we can apply this
knowledge to present and
future challenges for
our communities.

Session Tracks

Community Advocacy
Asian American community
advocates are
spearheading work to
garner visibility and
recognition of Asian
American women’s
issues. These issues
include domestic
violence, literacy,
labor organizing, the
low-wage economy, bias
crimes, housing, and
immigration legislation.
How do individuals and
organizations at the
forefront of these
issues forge and sustain
relationships with
dynamic Asian American
communities? What
obstacles do they face
as liaisons between
Asian America, the
media, private industry,
and government
agencies?

Business, Leadership,
and Professional
Development
Focusing on the
resources and strategies
that support and
encourage Asian American
women as they seek to
become better leaders in
both local and global
economies, the session
will examine gender,
ethnicity, and cultural
norms in the workplace,
while highlighting the
differences between
small business and large
corporations and issues
of executive management
in political, public
service, educational,
and non-profit fields.

Balancing Career and
Family
Women, in general, have
to negotiate familial
responsibilities while
also focusing on their
careers. Have Asian
American women been
successful in balancing
career and family? What
roles do immediate and
extended families play
in helping Asian
American women juggle
career and family? This
session will explore how
Asian American women
address issues such as
child-care, professional
commitments, day-to-day
domestic chores, and
elderly parents. Related
topics include stress-
and time-management as
well as financial
resources.

Public Administration
and Government
Historically, Asian
American women have been
underrepresented in
positions of authority
in public administration
and government. What are
the personal and
professional obstacles
for women in reaching
their career goals in
these areas? Do the
voices of Asian American
women have an impact on
policy and decision
making? What does the
future hold for other
Asian American women who
want a meaningful role
in public administration
or to serve in public
office?

Science and
Engineering
Science and engineering
have traditionally been
dominated by men.
Although the number of
women working in these
fields is increasing, we
still hear of cases
where teachers, faculty,
and advisors actively
discourage female
students from studying
science and/or
engineering. With many
women actively
contributing as
scientists and
engineers, it is time to
ask how Asian American
women have negotiated
and become successful in
these traditionally
male-dominated fields,
and to examine the
challenges and obstacles
Asian American women
face in their academic
and professional
careers.

Health and Wellness
Asian American women
face distinct social,
cultural, and political
barriers to physical and
mental health and
wellness. The purpose of
this session is to
explore occupational,
genetic, environmental,
and cultural factors in
disease or health risks
for this population. We
will also examine how
cultural beliefs,
traditional practices,
and linguistic
deficiency impact
healthcare delivery,
wellness education,
government policy, and
disease prevention for
Asian American women.

Media, Visual, and
Performing Arts
Representations of Asian
American women are
changing, and
examinations of racial
stereotypes are
insufficient in
representing the complex
position of Asian
American women in the
U.S. How are Asian
American cultural
producers seeking to
examine and complicate
the intricate
relationships between
popular culture,
artistic production, and
identity? What roles do
historical depictions of
this community play in
expanding our artistic
understandings of Asian
American women in the
present and the future?

Literature
No longer relegated to
the backdoor of
autobiography, Asian
American women writers
are charting new
literary maps through
formal and thematic
innovations that reflect
complex intersections
between gender, race,
class, sexuality,
religion, and language.
This session seeks to
examine how the arc of
Asian American literary
production informs these
writers, and what lies
ahead for emerging
authors.

New Demographics
The landscape of Asian
America is continuously
changing: How do we
understand these shifts
in our examinations of
new immigrants,
mixed-race identities,
and the dynamic
diasporic communities
that emerge as migratory
paradigms evolve? As
local communities are
shaped by the changing
demographics, what is
the response of
mainstream culture and
public policy makers?
To what extent do
transnational businesses
and global capital
influence Asian American
communities? How do
these developments
impact the daily lives
of Asian American women
and define their
identities?